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Chapter 033: Layered Game of Strategy

Her words were already quite clear.

She knew what her past views on love were, and perhaps this guy was still lost in his own romantic ideals, thinking that acting like this made him a good man.

But looking back now, it was undeniably foolish beyond belief.

Generally, the steps to dating are to first get to know each other, understand each other, and finally confirm the relationship. This is called developing feelings over time, which is pretty normal and common.

However, one cannot deny that love at first sight exists in the world. Of course, some people refer to it as “the body reacted” type of love, but it cannot be denied that it is also a form of love. As long as they end up together, do the prior steps really matter?

Isn’t dating just like that?

The chance of two people among billions in a vast sea of humanity looking each other in the eye at the same time and place can be measured in the distance of a house to a decimal point. In such a situation, if they meet, why not take the initiative? Who’s going to wait for you to first get acquainted and understand each other before making a decision? Who’s going to wait around?

Isn’t that just silly?

If a wealthy daughter from the Summer Family really took a liking to this guy, she’d probably be dissuaded by his slow warmth personality.

As for leaving behind regrets or whatever, why always consider the other party? We’re all adults here; isn’t it normal to take responsibility for the decisions we make? Moreover, she was the one who reached out to him first; if there were regrets to be had in the end, they would be his, right? What’s it to her, a lady of a grand family, to find someone else?

Regret? Does he deserve that?

—Though saying all this may not be pleasant to hear, the reality is just that.

So, she currently thought Ling Mo was truly foolish.

Of course, it may also be that after dying once, she came to a better understanding.

But unfortunately, she wasn’t him.

Tsk.

However, Xia Xinyan’s words did manage to awaken Ling Mo—although it didn’t pull him out of his rut, it brought him a moment of clarity, like seeing the light through the clouds, a sudden understanding.

Did he want to do things that couples do with Xia Xinyan? Of course he did; he dreamed about it every night.

But he dared not.

After all, he lacked confidence.

Because the distance between them was too great. She was a heiress, while he was just an ordinary college student. He wasn’t sure what Xia Xinyan saw in him; after tasting the wonder of it these past two days, he feared she might leave him, shattering this beautiful dream. So until he figured out his own worth, he subconsciously preferred stability, essentially wanting to keep things the same.

Staying away from Xia Xinyan was one of his strategies.

“Can you give me a little time? Let me adjust…” He shut his eyes, struggling to detach himself from the influence of her gaze, suppressing the restlessness in his heart. He spoke softly, “I’ll try… But now the game should be starting, right? Should we go do the mission?”

Xia Xinyan paused for a moment before rolling off him. Out of his sight, she disdainfully curled her lips: “Alright~!”

She didn’t believe a single word of what he just said.

She still didn’t grasp just how chicken he was; the actions he could rehearse a thousand times in his head might not even make it once in reality.

Yet his reaction was truly amusing.

Tsk.

—It’s worth mentioning that Xia Xinyan hadn’t considered the disparity in their statuses and hence didn’t think of the problems that stemmed from it, like what changes would happen once Ling Mo found his self-worth…

Of course, if she had thought about this, she probably wouldn’t have teased Ling Mo so much. After all, she understood that a volcano releases all its pressure when it erupts.

The greater the pressure, the more terrifying the eruption.

This was also related to her so-called status as the heiress; as the saying goes, the onlooker sees the game better.

Only Tianji was able to see all this.

But it didn’t tell Xia Xinyan.

In its logical processing, Xia Xinyan currently increasing Ling Mo’s favorability was a good thing, even if it might backfire later… it was still a great thing for it, so there was no need to mention it.

Though it didn’t speak, it was in a great mood as it issued the first scoring task—

[Additional Task Issued: Achieving an S-level evaluation in the dungeon will grant a lottery opportunity]

At that moment, Xia Xinyan was rummaging through the wardrobe for suitable clothes. Seeing the task prompt, she couldn’t help but ask herself: ‘Is there an evaluation task for every dungeon?’

[Depends on the situation]

‘Depends on what situation?’

[System’s mood]

‘…So when you’re in a good mood, can you give me a task that grants ten thousand points for every step?]

[Not possible; task difficulty requirements are linked to rewards, and the quantity of tasks has a set limit]

‘Who set these regulations for you?’

Xia Xinyan was quite curious about that, including who the mastermind behind the system’s existence was.

Could it be related to the “Realm of Divine Presence”?

[Access Denied]

This time, Tianji’s response was a mechanically synthesized sound devoid of any emotion.

Xia Xinyan decided not to ask further.

It seemed that inquiring about certain confidential issues triggered some settings within Tianji… a confidentiality mechanism?

She didn’t know if there would be serious consequences for asking too many questions, but for now, it seemed better to play it safe.

The wardrobe had a good number of clothes, most of which were suitable sportswear, so the game didn’t put them in a bind there. The awkward part was when it came time to change clothes—neither of them wore anything under their pajamas, and to change clothes, they had to take off their sleepwear.

Xia Xinyan selected an outfit and stared at Ling Mo for two seconds.

He immediately grabbed a couple of men’s outfits and rushed out of the bedroom: “I’ll change outside!”

Once he closed the door behind him, Xia Xinyan thought for a moment and went over to lock it.

—So this showed that she was just putting on an act, and if it came to serious matters, she really didn’t have the guts.

No, no, no… it shouldn’t really be about guts… if their genders were swapped, maybe she would have dared.

But unfortunately, there was no “maybe.”

Ling Mo, outside, naturally heard the locking sound. He paused for a second, then suddenly burst into laughter.

He was just a coward, not an idiot. The fact that Xia Xinyan locked the door after he stepped out indicated she still cared that he might see her body, and the deeper meaning of that was clear with just a bit of thinking.

So her earlier actions… could it have been teasing him?

Thinking about that possibility, Ling Mo’s smile faltered.

No, no… being teased by a girl as a man would be too embarrassing.

Could it really be like that?

…Ugh, is the freedom in this game really that expansive? Can players actually engage in such intimate actions in the game?

After pondering, he opened the game help and searched for the relevant game rules.

Then he discovered… this game truly lacked any restrictions in that area.

None at all.

This is incredible.

Could this be an R18 hidden game?

 

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